Strike Debt!

Death By For-Profit Health Care

admin — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:27:40 +0000

This report is part of an ongoing effort by a group of health care practitioners, lawyers, researchers, and activists to expose the disastrous impact of medical debta and for-profit health care on families and individuals in the United States. Private health care enriches a few—insurance companies, private equity firms, pharmaceutical companies, debt collectors, and global investors—at the expense of everyone else. Medical debt is a weapon of the class war because when patients cannot afford medical care, they are forced into debt, often with far-ranging and catastrophic consequences. As the rate of uninsured has grown, local governments have looked to state subsidies for private health insurance as a band-aid solution. Massachusetts has implemented such a program, and the Obama Administration’s Affordable Care Act has expanded this initiative on a national scale. Unfortunately, the ACA will not solve the problem because its primary goal is to expand the market-based system that has already proved to be a miserable failure. Insurance companies profit by denying coverage. As costs rise and benefits shrink, patients will continue to pay the price. We are in a major health care crisis, the consequences of which will be felt for decades to come. The only real solutions are: a grassroots social movement to demand universal health care, an end to the scourge of medical debt, and a national conversation on the meaning of health and wellness.

All OUT FOR KIMANI!

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:36:16 +0000

Sunday 3/24 3PM:

Occupy Wall Street and Strike Debt

Stand in Solidarity With the Community of East Flatbush

and the Family of Kimani Gray

March from 55th & Church to the 67th Precinct

This Sunday, people of conscience from across the city will gather in East Flatbush, Brooklyn to show solidarity with the friends, family and community of Kimani “Kiki” Gray as they express their grief, voice their anger, and demand justice. Gray was killed on March 9th by the NYPD, the latest in a systemic pattern of police violence against black and brown communities across the United States. The officers who killed Gray have a documented history of abuse. In order to legitimize the killing, these officers claimed that Gray pointed a gun at them. Eyewitnesses to the killing contest this claim. Gray was shot seven times, three of which were in the back. According to witnesses, Gray was left lying on the ground pleading for his life–“please don’t let me die.”

We call upon all Occupy networks and allies to participate in the Justice for Kimani event this Sunday as an intentional step to amplify this local community action, as well as the nation-wide movement against police violence, mass incarceration, and economic injustice. We stand with our allies who are organizing around Stop and Frisk, implementing Copwatch programs, conducting Know Your Rights trainings, and more. The…

Rolling Jubilee – Second Debt Buy

admin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:39:33 +0000

The Rolling Jubilee team has some big news!

We are very happy to announce that we have completed our second purchase of medical debt. This time, we bought and abolished over $1 million in debt from emergency rooms in Kentucky and Indiana. The average debtor owed around $900 and we will be abolishing the debt of over 1,000 people! We are sending the letters to the debtors as we type this. We are very concerned with the privacy of debtors, but if any of them come forward and want to share their stories, we will make them public.

This will be the second in a series of purchases of medical debt. For each one, we will announce it on this blog with extended details. We’ve also been working long and hard to make sure our finances and operations are as transparent as possible. The all-volunteer Board of Directors, along with the RJ sub-committees (tech, messaging & debt buying) and countless activists throughout the Strike Debt and Occupy Wall Street networks have been working diligently to ensure the Rolling Jubilee accomplishes its mission with dignity, transparency and political effectiveness.

From the beginning of the project over six months ago we have been very clear about three things we want from this project: (1) to provide some real relief for those around the country who are struggling under the crushing burden of debt; (2) to change the conversation around debt and austerity; and (3) to help advance debt resistance as part…

Commonly asked questions: Why can’t you buy my debt?

aaronb — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:42:15 +0000

[We get a lot of questions by email, and we do our best to respond to each and every one personally. Though we have a short FAQ on the Rolling Jubilee website, many questions deserve more in-depth responses. We've decided to post longer answers to some of the more common questions on this blog, in a regular feature titled 'Commonly asked questions'. Check back regularly for updates!]

“How do you choose whose debt to buy? / Why can’t you buy my debt?”

Some form of this is far and away our most frequently asked question. It’s often heartbreaking to read the stories of despair and frustration that accompany these questions. These stories overwhelmingly affirm the suspicion that crushing debt is very rarely the “fault” of the debtor – most often, their situation is precipitated by unfortunate circumstances far beyond their control, circumstances which could befall any of us.

So why can’t we just pick the “most” awful stories, the most “deserving” victims of the debt system, and buy their debt? The answer is twofold:

First, as far as we know, this is impossible. The way the debt buying process works is that essentially anonymous accounts are bundled together into large portfolios and sold as a whole. Before we buy the debt we don’t know whose debt we are purchasing. In one sense, this is a good thing. Imagine if debtors information (names, addresses, phone numbers, SSNs, …) was made available without having to buy the portfolio. This would be a serious breach…

Healthcare Emergency: It’s a Matter of “Life or Debt”

admin — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 04:25:36 +0000

Join Strike Debt for a Week of Action to Declare a Healthcare Emergency: It’s a Matter of “Life or Debt”

March 16 – March 23

Main events in NYC March 21: Strike Private Health Insurance

March 23: A Day of Free Healthcare and Education

Read about our latest purchase – $1 MILLION in Emergency Room debt

In the U.S., healthcare is a bankrupt system run on debt:

62% of personal bankruptcies are linked to medical bills. ¾ of people who declare bankruptcy due to medical bills had health insurance when they incurred those bills. 86% of doctors begin their professional lives with medical school debt. This debt limits medical school to the upper classes and forces even socially-minded young doctors to choose lucrative specialties. The restrictive cost of nursing school further reduces the availability and quality of primary care. Community hospitals deemed “unprofitable” are being closed left and right because they have fallen too deeply into debt.

These debts are literally killing patients, students, providers and communities. They deepen the already entrenched inequalities that divide races, classes, and genders. Our healthcare system doesn’t make us well; it prolongs our illnesses in the name of profit.

In reaction to this system, Strike Debt’s Rolling Jubilee initiative will make a big announcement in March. We have bought and abolished a large amount of medical debt. Though this will provide real relief to thousands of people who need it, it is only crumbs in light of the 70 million who still owe…

RJ Interview with Tax Analysts

admin — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:05:52 +0000

The Rolling Jubilee was developed in consultation with a legal team who recently did an interview with Tax Analysts, a news website for tax professionals. David S. Miller has been ranked the top tax lawyer in the United States for the seven consecutive years by the United States Lawyer Rankings. He is considered one of “The World’s Leading Lawyers” by Chambers Global and his name appears on the list of “The Best Lawyers in America” and “The Legal 500″ (see his full bio here). He is joined by the legendary civil rights lawyer Margaret Ratner Kunstler and Deborah Hrbek.

The interview is below:

A volunteer-led organization that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy and pay off medical debts as a gift to debtors says it intends to seek IRS recognition as a section 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization.

The Rolling Jubilee Fund works to educate the public about consumer credit — how and when it is advanced, how it is bought and sold, and how it’s collected, three attorneys representing the fund on a pro bono basis told Tax Analysts. The fund also furthers social welfare by helping patients with outstanding medical debt, the attorneys said.

“For centuries, charitable institutions have attempted to relieve the burdens of the sick,” the attorneys said. “And hundreds of tax-exempt organizations educate the public about debt and how to relieve debt. We are not aware of any organization that has combined these two objectives in exactly the way that Rolling Jubilee does, but we don’t believe that there is…

Commonly asked questions: Why does it take so long to buy debt?

aaronb — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:14:02 +0000

Why does it take so long to buy debt? The purchase of each debt portfolio can take weeks or months to complete, as the debt-buying industry is incredibly complex. We are taking time to learn the ins and outs of the market so that we can spend the money most effectively. The debt-buying world is a shadowy, speculative market where delinquent and charged-off debts are bundled into large portfolios and sold as a whole for pennies on the dollar. It is largely unregulated and filled with shady characters, many of whom are actively trying to rip each other off. We are taking care to be sure that we aren’t taken advantage of, that our deals are good, and at market value. We think it’s far more important to be certain that we spend your donations accurately, on real debts that help real people, than quickly, on debts of dubious nature. Additionally, we want all of our debt buys to be strategic and effective. We want to buy debt that will provide the most mutual aid possible and debt that…

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Visioning Session: Debt, Privilege and Common Struggle

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:54:17 +0000

Strike Debt is calling for a movement-wide conversation on Debt, Privilege, and Common Struggle to be held on January 21st, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

http://www.facebook.com/events/633545176675063/

If you are in NYC, join us Judson Memorial Church at 12pm

If you are not in NYC, or are joining after January 21st, you can use the following links to participate:

Visioning workbook

Poll questions

Recorded video

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Dear Strike Debt Chapters and Friends,

Over the past two months, Strike Debt has raised more than $500,000 through the Rolling Jubilee fund–enough to purchase and abolish more than ten million dollars worth of defaulted medical debt. A first round of beneficiaries has just been notified that their debts have been erased, and a much larger announcement is scheduled for February of this year. This bailout of the People by the People has touched a nerve, sparking an outpouring of generosity and a…

A Fiscal Cliff For The 99% – By Andrew Ross

admin — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:35:43 +0000

Forget the game of smoke and mirrors that was played out on Capitol Hill on New Year’s Eve. The American people were run off a cliff many years ago. The only thing that keeps us from falling hard is the suspension of disbelief in the myths peddled as fiscal common sense in Washington and Wall Street. Each new artificial deadline to put the almighty dollar’s house in order is an opportunity to shore up policies that are still delivering upwards of 90% of all U.S. income growth to the 1% and a burgeoning sludge-pile of debt to the rest of us. Tickets to the debt-ceiling pantomime are now being sold. No one should expect anything other than another two months of the same role-playing, while media pundits obediently circulate the same myths about the need to rein in public spending and free up the corporate powers to follow their benign, “job creating” instincts.

For some time now, Warren Buffet has been enjoying his role as the only prominent plutocrat who will openly concede that his side has been winning the class war hands-down. Speaking “truth from power,” he has all but pleaded with the nation’s legislators to raise taxes on himself and his peers. And wasn’t that exactly what happened on New Year’s Eve? For some of their number, yes, but the terms of the deal should be bluntly spelled out. We will pay more taxes, Buffet submitted, as long as you don’t interfere with the system by which…

An Update on the Rolling Jubilee

admin — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:10:22 +0000

Season’s Greetings from Strike Debt!

The Rolling Jubilee has struck a chord around the country and the world, giving rise to a remarkable outpouring of goodwill and support. The fund has exceeded our wildest expectations. We set out with the goal of raising $50,000 in order to abolish approximately 1 million dollars worth of debt. Thanks to your generosity, we have thus far raised over ten thousand donations at an average of forty dollars each, totaling $480,000. This is enough to abolish nearly ten million dollars worth of debt.

Along with donations to the fund, we have also been overwhelmed with both letters of support and devastating stories of how the predatory debt-economy impacts people’s lives. We are at a moment when these individual experiences of grief and suffering–shared by millions around the country–are beginning to translate into a collective political consciousness about the immorality of the debt-system overall.

At the cost of $5,000 dollars, we have now successfully eliminated $100,000 of debt owed to creditors who profit from people’s sickness and suffering. Letters to 44 debtors will be delivered in specially wrapped holiday packages, designed to catch the eye and pique the curiosity of recipients. Nick Pinto has the story in the Village Voice.

The debtors whose debts have been abolished have been given our contact information and information about Strike Debt and the Rolling Jubilee. If any decide to come forward and share their stories publicly, we will let the world know.

The Rolling Jubilee…